Radial arm or miter saw

[txvwnut]

I did a search but the results didn't show what I was looking for.

Would you rather have a radial arm saw or a good quality miter saw?

I have both although the miter saw is an HF one and is worn out and well past it's time for replacement. I know the miter saw offers portability and the radial saw a shop tool unless you had help to carry where ever you needed it. Everything is done mainly in my shop so it's more for fine wood working than general purpose cutting.

 

[thewatusi]

Do you also have a table saw?

Having both a table saw and a miter saw pretty much makes the radial arm saw redundant.

 

[txvwnut]

Yes I've got an older Jet tablesaw.

 

[wildstyle]

A good sliding compound miter saw and a table saw in my shop

 

[zkling]

If you have the space and don't need portability a good radial arm saw. Unfortunately I had to part with mine due to the space issue.

 

[freudianfloyd]

I prefer a miter saw. I had a radial arm saw and it seemed a little sketchy to me.

 

[gol4]

For the shop I prefer a radial arm. For most things that I do that require angles and crosscuts they are away from the shop so I use my miter saw the most. As you said the portability is a factor.
I just added a 2nd radial arm to my shop. It is an electronic deluxe version with 6 drawers under it. $60 off CL. You can't buy a decent miter saw for $60. I got a saw and storage for that price.
I use one just for crosscuts and It is dialed in dead accurate so I don't ever reset it. Have not changed anything but the height adjustment in years.

The other saw is for Molding head cutters, dado set ups, horizontal drilling, and over head router set ups. Things you can't even think about doing on a miter saw.

For a long time all I owned was a radial arm saw. I ripped a lot of wood safely with it and cut a lot of angles but did not like the sawdust hitting me in the face and spraying it all over the shop.

The way I see it. A Table saw is for rips, Radial for cross cuts and a Miter for angles.

If I could own only one saw it would be a good table saw. 2nd choice would be a radial.

 

[DonPowers]

If all you are doing is cross cuts and miters on 1 by or 2 by stock, both will do a great job with the miter saw being more portable.

If you plan on doing a lot of dados, tenons or working with larger stock (4x4, 6x6), can't beat a RAS with 12" to 16" blade.

 

[Bigplum]

Sliding mitre 100%. I have a radial and rarely use it , scared me more than once and gives patchy results on anything other than 90* cuts

 

[bcradio]

No way would I take a radial over a good miter saw

 

[Elginz]

I have both, I keep the RAS around just for the couple time a year it comes in handy. I keep the dado blade on it. Just one it would be the miter saw, I did go for years with just the RAS, My dad grew up with it and that is all he uses. The miter saw just seams easier and safer, with cross cuts and angles it is easier for me to get the cuts right.

 

[texvn]

I vote miter as well. A high quality compound sliding miter and a table saw are all you really need.

 

[cheechi]

sliding miter is much much safer and does at least 75% of what 'could be' / 98% of what most everyone needs in a saw of this type.

I came from a shop where RAS & table were the centerpieces, used almost equally. Nearly any cut of any kind you 'could' do on a table or 'could' do with a RAS. On a jobsite, even those rinky dink 7" miters have their place, but there is no substitute nowadays for a sliding miter.

I want an RAS of my own but realistically I would probably only use it if I needed to keep the table set up one way and needed to make other cuts.

 

[shawhite]

My vote is the bosch gliding miter saw and gravity rise stand. Have not been disappointed with mine at least.

 

[gungatim]

had a RAS and got rid of it as soon as I got a SCMS...even without that, no reason a properly setup table saw can't do everything a RAS can and much safer. if you want to do large crosscuts on the table saw, make yourself a nice crosscut sled. there's a million plans in every woodworking magazine on how to make one. if I need to <12" it goes on the SCMS, beyond that, it goes on the table saw...

in the 70's and 80's, the RAS was the gadget tool of choice foisted on the DIY public by Sears...

 

[rapid robert]

My radial arm saw is long gone...replaced by a table saw and a miter saw. Have not really missed the ras.

 

[Whitworth]

Radial arm saw excels at joinery. If that is what you are doing, if you're just cutting miters in the occasional clam shell molding then the miter saw is probably the better choice.

Radial arm saw, with dado head for grooving, either cross grain or with the grain. Turn the RAS arbor vertical for cutting tenons, ( table saw you'd have to hold the stock vertically).
Wide cross cuts, miter saws can't do that. Some RAS have attachments for the arbor, sanding, drilling, etc.